New Mammography Unit Run by Women Only

The Rabbi of the Kotel and Holy Places, Rav Shmuel Rabinovich, visited Maaynei Hayeshua Medical Center in the hareidi city of Bnei Brak on Sunday and was present at the dedication of the new and improved mammography unit, which features some of the most advanced medical equipment in the world.

The new mammography unit is the only one in Israel that is operated only by women. It is located next to the X-Ray and Imaging Institute of the center. Rav Rabinovich was welcomed by Dr. Anna Shechter, who directs the mammography unit, and Alex Aharonson, the chief technician at the Imaging Institute and the person in charge of radiation safety.

The rabbi received explanations about the new mammography machine, which was acquired at a cost of about 2 million NIS (over $500,000) and purchased in accordance with several leading rabbis' instructions, so as to encourage at-risk populations to get tested.

The machine carries out a quick, accurate test with lessened radiation. This is expected to help allay women's fears of being exposed to radiation during the test. Having the center operated by women is in order to remove the issue of modesty from the lifesaving medical procedure.

The rabbi affixed a mezuzah at the entrance to the new institute, and expressed hope that it would save Jewish souls through early detection.

The President of the Medical Center, Dr. Moshe Rothschild, noted the connection between the Kotel – which the spirit of G-d, the Holy Shechina never leaves – to the medical center, where it is believed that the Shechina is present around the head of the patient.

A few months ago, a medical convention for hareidim aroused the ire of leftists because it did not feature women speakers. The women-only mammography institute at a hospital that caters to hareidim would seem to belie some of the accusations leveled at the hareidi community by the leftists, and by the medical establishment.